In the use of cans and bottles, it has heretofore been proposed that carriers be provided to facilitate the handling. More specifically, it has been proposed that the carrier comprise a sheet of flexible and elastic material having a plurality of openings through which the upper ends of the cans or necks of the bottles extend and are held to provide a pack of cans or bottles. Such a carrier has been extensively used in connection with cans. However, the use of such carriers for bottles having narrow necks such as conventionally used for soft drinks and beer has not been extensive because the bottles must be secured in the carrier so that they can be readily handled and at the same time can be easily removed without excessive force.
In the handling of bottles, carriers that have been proposed are such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,084,792, 3,727,754 and 3,784,003 wherein a sheet of flexible elastic material comprises an inner part having the openings through which the upper ends of the necks extend and a peripheral band that is severed from the first part and moved about the periphery of the group of bottles to form and complete the package.
The use of such a carrier requires careful design since the nature of the carrier restricts the amount of material that can be used. The configuration and size of the periphery of the group of bottles that are to be carried determines the general size of the outer part or band leaving the inner part restricted to the area surrounded by the outer part. Thus the inner part should be designed to secure the bottles so they can be readily handled and at the same time easily removed without excess force.
At the same time in order to utilize the carrier, it is applied by machines which have fingers that are inserted within the outer part or band and stretch the loop so that it can be moved downwardly about the periphery of the group of bottles. Such a method and apparatus necessitates a relatively rapid stretching of the band. It is thus necessary that the band retain its strength and not unnecessarily exceed the elastic limit of the material during this rapid stretching.
As far as is known, the carrier of the aforementioned patents have not met all the requirements of a satisfactory carrier.
Accordingly among the objectives of the present invention are to provide a carrier for bottles which adequately secures the bottles and at the same time permits the bottles to be removed without excessive force; which utilizes the minimum amount of material; and which can be readily applied to the bottles at high rates without adversely affecting the strength of the carrier.
In accordance with the invention, the bottle carrier for carrying a plurality of bottles having a body portion and a neck portion and a closure which is attached to the neck of the bottle which comprises a generally flat blank formed of a material that is flexible and elastic. The blank comprises a first part defining a central portion and a second part defining a band which is severable from the first part and is adapted to be stretched about a group of bottles. The first part comprises a plurality of openings in spaced rows for receiving the necks of the containers and engaging the necks below the closures. In order to meet the requirements of adequately securing the bottles in the carrier and at the same time, being able to apply the carrier to the bottles rapidly by automatic machines, the carrier includes the following relationships: (1) minimum widths of the webs between the openings for receiving the necks of the bottles and the periphery of the carrier, (2) the stress on the webs must be less than 550 p.s.i., (3) any radii on the band must be at least 7/8" or greater, (4) the average stretch ratio of the band should be about 8% to 14%.